The present invention relates to a system for the measurement of changes in the level of a body of liquid within a container. More particularly, the present invention is concerned with the use of float elements to selectively actuate one or more of a plurality of digital switches.
The prior art in the instant area is not well-defined and, to the knowledge of the inventor, does not deal with the problem of measurement of liquid levels in the manner set forth herein. Also, the prior art, as known to the inventor, is not capable of measurement of specific gravity of the liquid whose liquid level is being measured.
Prior art float measurement means employing magnetic fields as the actuation means for digital switches appear in U.S. Pat. No. 3,200,645 (1965) to Levins, entitled Electric Position Sensor; U.S. Pat No. 3,419,695 (1968) to Dinkelkane, entitled Float Switches Assembly; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,646,293 (1972) to Howard, entitled Electrical Signal Generator and Liquid Level Indicator, all of the above being classified in U.S. Class 200, subclass 84C.
The above prior art, and other art known to the inventor, does not set forth a system making use of the forces of negative buoyancy of the sensing element, magnetic repulsion between sensing elements, and specific gravity of the sensed medium to produce output data suitable for translation into information regarding liquid level and specific gravity of the measured liquid. It is to this end that the present invention is addressed.